Welcome to December! We’ve already had snow…twice. Which is unusual for my part of the Midwest. Over the last decade, while we might get a little bit of snow, most of the hard-hitting inches of white doesn’t usually hit until January or February. Getting 8 inches of snow in late November/early December is something I remember from my younger years.
Enough snow talk!
This month I’m showcasing two independent bookstores. And here’s why.
At the beginning of 2025, when I decided to start spotlighting hometown independent bookstores, I only had a few in my hometown area. I went to Google and typed in “independent bookstores in” and added a large town across the US. Then I picked 12.
It stands to reason that eventually, I would find that one independent bookstore that caters to antique and collectable books.
And that’s what Giant Nerd Books is. Located in Spokane Washington, their two sentence explanation states: “Established in 2005 and located in Spokane’s historic Garland business district, Giant Nerd Books is Spokane’s longest-running purveyor of antiquarian and collectible books, curiosa, and oddball miscellany. The shop’s curation is informed by the owner’s forty-plus years of bookselling experience and a lifetime of obsessive reading and collecting across a wide range of subjects.”
Oh my God, I now want to take a trip to Spokane Washington and just spend hours in this shop!
Of course, a shop like this also buys antiquarian, rare and unusual titles. Those visits are by appointment only and sellers are encouraged to call the store to set up a time.
Visitors are probably not going to walk in here and find the latest Colleen Hoover or James Patterson. But if you’re looking for something obscure, this is your place.
I mean, the list of books and interests they do sell is catnip for any sort of nerd and they probably cater to you.
* Classics and Literature
* Poetry
* Transgressive Fiction
* Comics/Graphic Novels/Comix
* Inland NW History
These are just a few of the subjects they offer. As well as such things as:
* Vintage Horror/Sci-Fi Memorabilia
* Skulls and Taxidermy
* Medical and Natural History Specimens
If you’re looking for something strange and unusual, this is your shop.
While they do have a website (of course linked in this blog and posted under December’s Bookstore Showcase), this is not a place where you can order books and have them shipped to you.
This is a specialty bookstore that must be seen and browsed to be believed.
If you live in the Spokane or Washington area, check this bookstore out. If you don’t and like oddities, make plans to check this place out!
I won’t lie. There was a time when all I knew about Washington State was the Space Needle and Forks. The more I look into the state, the more I want to visit and see all the hidden gems this place has to offer. Including this one.
If you’ve visited, let me know if it is as amazing as it sounds.
If you have an independent bookstore near you that you’d like to see spotlighted, please send them in! You can contact me here or you can find me on Bluesky under mousesnook. Threads and Instagram under Mousesreadingnook. Drop me a line. Say hi. Tell me your favorite independent bookstores!
Next week, I’ll post another bookstore I stumbled upon while shopping on Black Friday. This is why buying bags and store promotion items work! I saw this bag out in the wild and asked about it!
Until next week friends. May you stay warm, may your chocolate always be hot, and may you have time to relax and curl up with a good book.
Mouse's Reading Nook 